Is Bridge Repair Possible?

If you travel into Portage from the west you may have the feeling something is missing. For the past several years the bridge over the by-pass coming into town has been missing a lane. It was the victim of a crash with a truck and it’s repair has become elusive.

It’s sits quietly on the west end of town welcoming people to Portage like a grinning child missing their front teeth. So when will the toothless bridge be repaired? Well not this year according to local Manitoba Highways officials. It is not on the list of upcoming projects for this construction season meaning we’ll have to wait another year at least to have our welcoming smile fixed.

The question of when the bridge might be fixed is so challenging (or should we say taxing) the Government of Manitoba’s Infrastructure and Transportation Department has yet to find anyone able to call us back with the answer. It might be safe to assume it has fallen off the short to medium term priority list and is, perhaps as they say, “on the back burner.”

With it being an election year in Portage it might be a great time to raise the issue with campaigning hopefuls knocking on your door. Yes, we know the City of Portage isn’t responsible for the repair, but local representatives can always choose to make some noise with the Government of Manitoba to help keep it top of mind. We even have a local MLA with an office downtown he shares with our MP, both who may have some ability to get our bridge fixed(among other things).

Surely getting the bridge repaired isn’t impossible in the City of Possibilities.

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The last guy who knocked on my door to solicit my vote has not been back since I asked for a sidewalk on 18th Street SW. We have dogs to walk, and two kids under 18, and little old ladies, and a not so little middle aged lady walking with poles – I think we deserve to be safe, no?